The Washingtonienne: A Novel
by Jessica Cutler
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of The Washingtonienne: A Novel.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 374)
Read in September, 2007
This book was an extremely easy read (I finished it in about 4 hours total) but it was also quite entertaining...It was not "well-written" by any means (her vocabulary and lack of real character development in the "story" left a lot to be desired), but more than anything I believe that anyone who enjoys reading compilations of outrageous anecdotes that describe, and embarrass, those who hold the power in our country, would enjoy this. For the most part, I think the entert...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Somehow the standards for fiction and memoir are different. In a "real" story, I expect things to be a tad disjointed and unresolved in spots, and I will even tolerate a certain amount of poor writing. After all, the author is somewhat limited by the facts (unless he's James Frey). In a novel, however, none of that is acceptable. Don't try to sell me a half-assed book if you have the freedom to make up whatever the heck you want.
Although Cutler presents this book as a novel, it's ...more
Although Cutler presents this book as a novel, it's ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
This is the fictional account of Ms. Cutler's real-life exploits as an intern on the Hill. It is filled with her drug and alcohol induced sexcapades, which she recounts for her friends via her daily blog. She uses her size-0 body and designer clothing to attract wealthy (often married) older men who pay her rent in exchange for her company. This is the literary equivalent of bad reality television and quite possibly the most poorly written book I have read in the last several years. As Cutler at...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2007
i didn't get past the first 20 pages. boring. in most books, the character with questionable morals is either an exaggerated version of him/herself so it's entertaining...or there is actually something deeper beneath the annoying/disturbing exterior so you almost sympathize with (or even relate to) them. in this case....it's pretty much a jessica cutler autobiography. i would not like her in real life, so i have no idea why i thought i'd like her in book form. it could've been a great story...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
Note that this is the only book on my list that has an actual date that I read it. It's because I read it in 3 hours. Cutler's clearly no fiction writer; she just tells you what happened, much like gossiping, so don't expect character development or witty metaphors. And for the book to contain so much sex, she could have given some description! (not that we need it, but really, if you're doing to say it, go all the way -- no pun intended). But if you're in the mood for a gossipy smut-fest, she'l...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
nobody
Don't read this book. If you want to read it, don't buy it. You'll be disappointed. I was hoping to hear more about the blog (and any clues to names) and therefore I checked it out from the library. I don't know the situation well enough to determine whether or not the main character "Jackie" is fictional or some sort of reflection of the author's life. Either way, the fact that anybody can even phathom a fictional character that acts the way she does, concerns me. I am okay with...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
It's funny... I found the main character deplorable and the writing extremely mediocre, yet I could not put this book down! Maybe because it's a roman a clef by blogger Jessica Cutler, who went down in flames after she was found using Senate computers in "unacceptable ways." And maybe it's because I'll always feel like Washington is "my" city even though I don't live there anymore. So, while I can't recommend it because the main character sucks, if you are looking for a very,...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2007
In my defense, I got this book for free. I was marginally interested because I'd read about the author's story in the news, and since it had such a pretty cover, I picked it up at a book swap place.
The book itself was pretty awful. It's chapter after chapter of this girl's trainwreck lifestyle... sex with random strangers, getting evicted from apartments, sleeping with old men for money, getting fired from her job. I would recommend it if you want to feel better about yourself, or if you...more
The book itself was pretty awful. It's chapter after chapter of this girl's trainwreck lifestyle... sex with random strangers, getting evicted from apartments, sleeping with old men for money, getting fired from her job. I would recommend it if you want to feel better about yourself, or if you...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
Now, I'm not a prude by any standards but there was a lot of casual sex and drugs in this book. Pretty much this book is what happens between the, "Dear Penthouse Forum" and the "Signed, Horney in DC." All that sex and drugs could be be fairly entertaining but I didn't much care for the main character. I wanted to like her but she just so hypocritical and all the casual sex with multiple partners at a time plus getting paid for sex was just yucky.
It is interesting to lea...more
It is interesting to lea...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Purely brainless beach reading, although I felt more than slightly dirty after reading this book.
The blog angle is interesting, and it's a shame blogger-turned-author-turned playmate Cutler spends 90% of the story talking about perverted and drunken nights on the Hill instead of her actual blogging process.
A couple bonuses: seeing some of the lingo appear that my Hill friends use; mention of DC spots that I recognize (e.g. Capitol Lounge and Eastern Market); mention of Gallaudet stud...more
The blog angle is interesting, and it's a shame blogger-turned-author-turned playmate Cutler spends 90% of the story talking about perverted and drunken nights on the Hill instead of her actual blogging process.
A couple bonuses: seeing some of the lingo appear that my Hill friends use; mention of DC spots that I recognize (e.g. Capitol Lounge and Eastern Market); mention of Gallaudet stud...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
people who can read without judging others
This story is labeled fiction however, it's more of a memoir. There is much controversy surrounding the character in the book and whether or not she should have even been paid to write a book about her life experiences. If you can read it without judgement and realize that this is the life some people choose it's a good read. However, if you think the girl is nothing but a "lazy whore" as some are calling her, you might just finish the book out of anger.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
no one
did not like this book. while the style was conversational and easy to read, the protagonist was absolutely dreadful. not entirely sure what the point of this book was, either: to celebrate the exploits of jackie turner? a cautionary tale? a moral parable? if home-wrecking, adultery, prostitution, and unbridled arrogance are your thing, you might like it, but i didn't.
(and the adultery didn't even use the more "polite" smutty language, either.)
(and the adultery didn't even use the more "polite" smutty language, either.)
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Maybe I should be embarrassed to give this book three stars when it is admittedly, well, trashy. But you couldn't go into this one expecting much depth, based on the cover, or any knowledge of the plot whatsoever. It was entertaining enough, a quick read, a beach read...and not much more. Sure, the main character was a flawed person but not detestable to the point where I didn't want to see what happened to her.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
the vapid
I did not realise when I started the book that it is based on a true story from a woman in DC. This is her account of events that unfolded in 2004 on the Hill. It is a rather interesting, if not sad, account of the life of vapid waif-ish self-absorbed women, but also of a woman who knows the power of her body and uses it to get what she wants. Interesting, but nothing spectacular to read.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
Melissa warned me about this book. It was trashy with a capital T. I was a little disappointed by the ending but the crazy stuff this girl got into was what kept me reading. AND it was cool to hear the author referring to familiar things in DC. I did manage to read the whole thing in one evening and a lunch break - so I guess it was trashy in a good way.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
any girl living in DC whos spent any amount of time partying in the city...
Pick up the book, read the first line, and you'll know whether you are going to love or hate every word. It's a quick and easy read, but beautiful and nasty at the same time, everyone's dirty little secret. Fantastic...
Lets face it girls, this is a much more accurate depiction of Washington than anyone would be willing to admit.
Lets face it girls, this is a much more accurate depiction of Washington than anyone would be willing to admit.
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comments
This is a juicy read, kind of trashy, but I love it. It's a story based loosely on a true story. The main character is an intern on the Hill for a senator, sleeps her way through DC, blogs about it "privately" to her friends, then gets discovered. I think I read this book in a day. My ex also read it and tore right through the book.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
Not a fan of the lead character, really. I do like her writing style, and story-telling ability.
But seeing as this was based on her life, I can't relate to her promiscuity, shallowness, and general disregard for her own life. The drugs, men, sexcapades, and danger she put herself in is just something I couldn't fathom.
But seeing as this was based on her life, I can't relate to her promiscuity, shallowness, and general disregard for her own life. The drugs, men, sexcapades, and danger she put herself in is just something I couldn't fathom.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
Waste of time!! I thought it was not great from the beginning, but I finished the book hoping that it will get better. I gave it a chance, but it was a disappointment. Also, I hate it when people say "F#@! you very much" instead of thank you very much, and this book has plenty of those.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
